In conversation with Faik Fetahi, Fetaxid AG, Altbüron

Fetaxid AG in Altbüron was founded in 1989 by Fehmi and Sara Fetahi. Faik Fetahi is the 2nd generation to run the family business. The company specializes in the installation of seamless floor and wall coatings. The 26 employees of Fetaxid AG provide every property with hard-wearing and durable coverings with a high-quality appearance.

Have previous generations worked in this industry?
No. My parents founded their company in 1989 when I was just two years old.

What motivated your parents to set up the business?
My father worked as an employee in this field. At the age of 26, he was convinced that he could work on his own account and opened his own businesses.

What motivated you to join the family business?
When I was at secondary school, my parents asked me what I wanted to do for a living. Flooring, of course, what else. They always talked about the business at home and I experienced all the ups and downs first hand, which shaped me.

And what did your career look like after school?
There was no training for our industry back then. I completed my apprenticeship as a floor layer. From underlay flooring to coverings such as carpet, parquet or vinyl, I learned what can be done on floors. On September 1, 2006, I started working in my parents' business as a handyman, trowel cleaner and go-to guy. I worked my way into the family business from the bottom up. After graduating as a technical salesman, I switched to construction management in 2012.

How do you attract customers?
Our name is well known in the industry. Many inquiries come to us through word-of-mouth advertising and follow-up orders from large Businesses. We can also count on recommendations from architects and construction managers.

What has been your biggest project to date?
This certainly includes the Kloten Airport parking lot with 60,000 m2 and the Westside in Berne with a similar area. We work on such large areas with ten to twenty employees in order to meet the deadlines. It can take up to a year to complete such an area in order to guarantee the customer's operations, as only limited segments can be processed.

What made you decide to take over the management of the company?
With 60 employees at several locations, the entire operational management and administrative workload had become very extensive. As a restructuring was imminent, my father offered me the position of Managing Director in 2015. I became an entrepreneur from one day to the next. The first official act was the most difficult. I had to centralize the locations again with a site in Altbüron and this naturally also resulted in redundancies. However, reducing the size of the team with the location in Altbüron proved to be the right strategy.

What helps you to solve the difficult tasks?
Two site managers support me and I really appreciate the fact that I am relieved of the operational side of the business. Without this support, it would also not be possible to carry out my duties on the municipal council in the area of education and leisure. Communication skills, a sense of responsibility and social skills are also required, as well as leadership qualities.

How did the collaboration with Gewerbe-Treuhand come about?
When our Accountant decided to look elsewhere, we started looking for alternatives. Maria Kurmann, branch manager in Willisau, is a colleague of my mother. She recommended her colleague Eveline Vogel to us, who has been working at our domicile every Tuesday ever since. She does a very good job and we are very satisfied.

What impact could the current economic and political situation have on your Businesses?
At the moment, our industry is not yet feeling any consequences and our order situation is good. However, depending on global customs policy, industrial companies could postpone investments. We would be severely affected by this. We were already struggling during Corona due to long delivery times and expensive transportation costs. That was a bad time.

Where are you taking Fetaxid AG in the coming years?
I have learned the lessons from the past. With our headquarters here in Altbüron and a constant number of 20 to 30 employees, we are processing the orders we receive. I am not aiming for further growth, as this would involve too much effort and risk. We are and will remain an SME. We don't know whether our adolescent son will want to join our family business later on. We will see.

Contact: info@fetaxid.ch
www.fetaxid.ch